Restaurant-service.



i ication.

- and by means of which the orders maybe conveyed to theindividual tables, and. the f empty dishes re nrned to4 thekitchen.

p erating means.

.which may be arranged as shown in Fig. 2,

PATRICK vKrIiLPAJrRIoK, or HURoN, souTH DaKoTA.

RESTAURANT-SERVICE.

To all whom *it may concern."

Be it known that I, PATRroK KILLPAT- RICK, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Huron, in the county of Beadle, State of South Dakota, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Restaurant- Services, of which the following is a speci- My invention is an improvement in restaurant service, and consists in certain novel constructions and combinations of parts hereinafter described and claimed.-

The object of the invention is to provide an improvement in devices of the character specified, wherein a means is. providedv for serving a number of tables automatically,

Referring td-t le drawings forming a part hereof: Figure '1 is a diagrammatic side?` View of the improvement; F ig. 2 is a bottoml plan view of the track; Fig. 3 is a perspec-` tive view of the' carriage and a portion of the tracks; and Fig. 4 is a side view of the connection between the carriage and its op- The present embodiment of the invention is arrangedin the dining room of a 1 restaurant or hotel, and comprises a track" composed of spaced rails 1 and 2,.whicli are preferably of dumb bell cross section, as shown. in Fig. 3.v The rails are preferably suspended from the ceiling 3 of tlieroom by means of hangers 4 arranged at suitable intervals to properly support the track, and the rails are preferably connected at spaced intervals by cross ties 5, to whose .centers the hangers 4 are'connected. In order that as many tables as possible may be served, a plurality of tracks is `preferably provided oi in any other suitable manner. As shown in t-lie said figure, the track consists of a main track designated generally by the refl erence character A,fand va plurality of branch tracks designated generally yby the reference characters B and C and interposed in the length of the"main-track.l The main track is arranged at the longitudinal center 'n of the rooni, and the branch tracks are arranged alongside each other and converge toward their ends. The carriage is shiinted from the main track to the branches by means of tiirn.tables"`D, oneof'which is. arranged at each of the converging ends. The

Specification of Letters Patenti-T Application sied January 25d, 1911.

serial No. 604,525.v

-Patented"limiA turn tablemay of any suitable construe y' tion, that 'shown comprising a circular plate `6 rotatably mounted intermediate the 'adjacent ends oftliemain and branch tracks Aby means of hanger rods 7, wliich connect the said plate to a second plate 8 pivoted at 9 to the ceiling of the room.

The lower face of the plate 6 isprovidedl ivi'th spaced rails 10` and `11 connected by cross ties 12, and the lsaid rails are adapted to register with the ends of the rails 1 and 2 of the main and branch tracks. The tables D are turned vby means of the carriage, which 'Will'now be described. The said Vcarriage comprises a paii' of franie bars of similar shape and construction, each of which consists of a body portion 13, 'having at its center a journal pin 14 on which is joiirnaled a'grooved wheel 15 running on the adjacent rail 1 or 2. Each of the frame bars is providedivith a dependingportion 16 at each end, which extends tothe level of the lower face oft-lie rail, and is then y bent inwardly to forni a journal pin 1i and thence is bent inwardly, downwardly and laterally at 18 to a connection with one Aarm l 19 extending from a socket 20. A grooved wheel 21 is journaled on each of the journal lpins 17`andengages the under faceV of the adjacent rail, and the socket 20-is at the vertical center of the carriage. The socket is provided with foiir arms 1,9 vso that both framebarsl are connected tlierewi'thk-` The carriageis held firmly on the track by means of the wheels 15 and 21, so that it'cannot become derailed, yet the carriage` does not interfere with the cross ties 5 or 1201` the hanger rails 4 or 7 which areconnected to the centers of the respective ties.

A tray is supplied troni the carriage, the said tray comprising a lower portion 22 for receiving the ordm-wand an upper portion 23 for the empty dishes. A The said trays are secured to a rod 24 whose upper end is passed through tliefsocket 19, and iseiigaged by a collar 25 above the socket'. .The collar Ais =pinned tothe rod by a pin 2G'tojpre`vent dise'iigagement thereof. i v vIn. the operation of vthe device the orders areplaeed on the plate or tray 22, which`v as shown i in Fig.. 1x, is provided with side fianges 27, and isalso provided with :intelevated rail 28 at the forward end of the tray. The rail is arranged at the front and-is.. elevated to prevent the dishes moving forward from inertia, the carriage becheckedk placed by a turning handle. rhe turning of the tray turns the carriage and. also the turn table, and when the rails of the table are in register with the railscf the track B or C,

' as the case may be, the carriage is run off the, turn table onto vthe said track. Vhen a table is reached the orders are removed and the carriage is moved to the next table.

i Then the tables of the track on `which is v tween the main track and the adjacent con-v Yeo the carriage, as, `Jfor instance, B, are served, the carriage is run onto thevturn table at the opposite en d of the track, and the table is turned until its rails register with those of track C. The carriage is then run onto the said track C and the tables thereof are served. The carriage may return to track A direct from track lC or'by way of track B, may be desired. v The carriage may be moved by any suitable means, and the tray 22 is held in place by a plurality of collars29, one of which is arranged above and one below the bottom of the tray. Each collar is annularly flanged at the end adjacent to the tray, as shown at 30, and the collar is held in place on the rod by a pin 3l. A washer 32 en.- circles the rod between the flange 30 of each collar and the tray. The tray is thus held.

iirmly in place, but may be removed if necessary for any purpose.

It will be evident that the tracks may be arranged in many different ways, and each track may serve a plurality of line-s of tables, it desired, one line'being arranged on each side of the track. l

The device is inexpensive and may. be in` stalled without any changes in the room. The device is also easily operated, not liable to get out of order, and will do the work of a great number of waiters.

I claim:

l. ln combination, a main track anda plurality oi' branch tracks interposed in the length of the main track, hangers for sus pending the tracks, the branch tracks converging at their ends, a. pivotally mounted turn table at the ends of the tracks and beverging ends of the branch tracks, a carriage movable on thc tracks, a rod depending from the carriage.v and a tray secured to the rod.

. i 2. In combination, a main track and a i plurality of branch tracks interposed in the Y'et length of the main track, hangers for suspending the tracks, the branch tracks con- :verging at their ends, a pivotally mounted turn table at the ends of the tracks and between the main track and theadjacent converging ends of the branch tracks, a carriage movable-on thetracks, pand ar tray depending from the carriage, y

3. In a device of the character. specified, the combination of spaced rails, cross tiesl connecting the rails, hangers connected with thel cross ties, a carriage comprising spaced frame bars one above each rail, a grooved wheel journaled on each bar at its center and running on the rail, each bar having a portion depending below the rail at eachl end and bent beneath the rail and laterally inward and downward to the vertical center of the carriage, a grooved wheel` on each of the said portions beneath the rail and engagingthe under face thereof, a socket connecting the said portions of both frame bars beneath the rails, a rod in the socket, and a tray on the rod;

4. In a device of the character specified, the combination of spaced rails, cross ties connecting the rails, hangers connected with the crbss ties, a carriage'comprising spaced frame bars one above each rail., a grooved wheel journaled on each bar at its center and running on the rail, each bar having a portion depending below the rail at each end and bent beneath the rail and laterally inward and downward to the vertical center of the carriage, a grooved wheel cn each of the said. portions beneath the rail and engaging the under face thereof, a connection between the said portions below the rails, and a tray carried by the connection.

5. In a device of the character specified,

the combination of spaced rails, cross -ties connecting the rails, vhangers connected with the cross ties, a carriage comprising spaced frame bars one above each rail, a grooved wheel journaled on each bar at its center and running on the rail, each bar having a portion depending below the rail at each end and bent beneath the rail and laterally in' ward and downward to the vertical center of the carriage, a grooved wheel on each of the said portions beneath the rail and engaging the under `tace thereof, and a tray connected with the said portions and depending below the rails.

6. In a device of the character specified, the combination. of spaced rails, cross ties connecting the rails, hangers connected with the cross ties, a carriage comprising spaced frame barsone above cach rail, a grooved wheel journaled on each bar at its center and running on the rail, each bar havin a depending portion at each end provi ed with a Journal pin beneath the rail, a grooved wheel on each pin engaging the under face of the rail, a connection between the inner ends of the said pins, and a tray supported by the connection.

l7. In a device of'the diameter specified, with a journall pin beneath the raiL-"a 'the comblnatlon `of spaced 1a11s,vcross t-1es groovedwheelon each pm engagmg the un- 10 eonneetin the 1'ai1s,han0fers connected with der face of the rail and a'tra Vde endinff g e I a y P a;

the cross ties, a carriage comprising spaced from the said pins below the falls.

frame bars one above` each rail, a grooved Wheel journaled on each bai1 at. its center' VVtnesses: and running on the rail, each bai-*having av S. Mousmr, depending portionat each end provided l B.' GBE.

Copies of fhis patent lmaybe obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of P atents,

Washington, D. G.

PATRICK KILLPATIzICK.'A 

